#GUMPDC620

[mooninhiseyes-blog]

Yang Liu, the head of the Department of Design Communications at the Berlin Technical Art University published a book that illustrates cultural differences between East and West in a humorous and visual way. These simple insights underscore the many different ways that parameters are affected due to cultural context.  

Retrieved from: https://digitalsynopsis.com/design/east-meets-west-cultural-differences-illustrations/

[nice-lines]

Visual diary #3 | Cervelo P-Series

There are dozens of bike manufacturers all vying for attention by offering new color schemes, updated drivetrains, and excellent brakes. I consider Cervelo cycles to be the one company that prioritizes the rider’s experience and comfort above all else.

Cervelo’s attention to detail and user-focused engineering approach redefined the entire cycling industry and forced other manufacturers to question what their focus should be.

Unlike their competitors, Cervelo doesn’t have dozens of different bike models. Instead, they focus their efforts on addressing the specific needs of everyday riders by ensuring their entire line-up can be easily reconfigured and adjusted to fit all body types. By having fewer models that are more flexible, Cervelo can then focus their efforts on constantly researching and improving their line-up.

There is no better example of how disruptive this shift has been than their P-Series triathlon bikes. Cervelo introduced the P-Series by setting out to better understand how riders used these bikes. Before the P-Series, most riders used road-specific bikes and added aero-bars to make them more aerodynamic. This approach didn’t address or seek to understand how the bike geometry could better support riders in this new position on long rides.

Instead of taking this approach, Cervelo designed an all new bike geometry that better positioned riders for long races. This new geometry was achieved after studying cyclists in wind tunnels and measuring their heart rate, lactic acid build-up, and overall body stress in different positions.

Cervelo’s P-Series combines a human-centered approach to its geometry with top of the line specs to deliver bikes that are ridden by elite professionals and weekend warriors. A fantastic example of their design leadership is seeing how many age-group (everyday athletes) triathletes and professionals alike use the same bike during races.

[creativecollectionnk32-blog]

Visual Diary #6  |  Design Leadership Tools

I’ve been seeing a ton of advertising for this lately and it makes me interested to see how good it could be for workflow and projects. While there are other similar platforms, I’ve just been curious if this one is as good as they say it is. We use basecamp where I work, and while it’s fine, I think it lacks in giving an overall picture of where you’re at with projects - individually and as a team. If monday.com can do this then I think it would be worth a try!

I definitely like the design, it’s bold in color but clean cut and simple overall. Not sure how easy the navigation is, but from the research I’ve done it seems simple as well. This is a tangible design leadership tool that I hope to try, but I also think there is going to be a variety of pms and workflow platforms like this in the near future to try as well. Regardless, I think the design is great and I can definitely see the benefit of having such a seamless way to monitor and stay on top of work and projects–it’s something we can always get better at!

[tjl87gu-blog]

Zipline is using autonomous drones to deliver blood and other medical supplies to remote locations in Africa! 

[hbussler-blog]

Stigma Around Mental Health 

I suffer from anxiety and depression and I have heard all of the examples above. Would someone treat a physical illness like that? Well no, it would be ridiculous. So why do we treat mental health like this?

I truly believe that people have a hard time understanding mental illness because it is not visible to the naked eye. Health professionals go off of who someone “feels” and when someone doesn't believe how you are feeling, it can make you feel like you are the issue when you really just want help. I think that this wicked problem deserves more than an article in Forbes, although it is a good one. It deserves time, the design thinking process, and one day...a solution.

[diaryofadesignkid]

For Visual Diary #4, another service that helps the disabled are the inclusive playgrounds that Singapore has been establishing around their country. From a TedTalk on May 24th, 2018, "To design better tech, understand context (TEDGlobal2017),” it was emphasized that as designers, we need to engage ourselves and immerse ourselves in the environment of those in the audience in order to really understand what they need, and those who designed this playground and work with these kids have done so to understand how to make such a playground exist and work for these kids to use and play with. Additionally, in Nelson and Stolterman’s book, “The Design Way : Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World - Foundations and Fundamentals of Design Competence,” it states how “design ideally is about service on behalf of the other -- not merely about changing someone's behavior for their own good or convincing them to buy products and services” (page 41). I think this inclusive playground does a great job painting how the designer built this service on behalf of these disabled kids and now allows them to develop equal relationships with other kids and those who help them through such platform. 

[karlymccoy-blog]

Visual Diary # 7

I saw this image a while back while shopping online at Target! When i saw this i immediately thought of this class and i just hadn’t been able to fit it into any of the prompts we’ve had! So since this week is a free for all topic, i felt it was the perfect time to share this photo! I LOVE THIS! Target has gotten a lot of attention for its children’s clothing line that is all inclusive for people with disabilities but i feel like i haven’t heard anything about the same for adults. But hello look at this beautiful model for target! I love that target is so inclusive by just using this one model! She is Africa America, plus size, and has the cutest artificial leg i have ever seen! This is some major design leadership shown by target and whatever model angency this woman is signed with! The world needs more of this type of body positivity!

[laurennbradford-blog]

Problematic Stake in the Ground

In a city nicknamed the Motor City, you can see how the addition of bike lanes has made commuting by car more than a hassle. While I do see the necessity of safety for bike riders, the recent surge and locations of them have caused many in Detroit to think this is just another way the mayor is gentrifying the city. In an effort to increase several forms of mobility and connect riders to commercial corridors, busy streets are having their traffic cut in half to make room for the bike lanes.

[insowmnia]

Lululemon put a stake in the ground that work out apparel could be trendy and fun. Where their stake became problamatic, is that they limited their market share to cater to wealthy, attractive people who the CEO bluntly claimed to be their customer. That he didn’t care if other customers didn’t feel welcomed because lululemon wasn’t made for them. This statement singled out a majority of shoppers, opening up a gap for other companies like fab fit fun to become a player. Their stake in the ground went from being fashionable and trendy, to exclusive. 

[science2designjourney-blog]

Im recovering from a mild cold, so I walked past this and got a squirt to de-Rhino my hands. Then I realized that I didnt have to bend over, and merely slowed down instead of stopping. This thing was made for passerbys. I use these things all the time but this class actually forced me to think of the human-centered design process that went into it. What was the original design problem? Reducing germ transfer at high traffic areas? It's fun to predict the original design problems for solutions I can see and use!

[awagner137]

    In terms of storytelling mediums--Powerpoint, narrative, video, audio, photography, story-telling, designs of products and services--there are many of these which overlap depending on the medium. For example, the climbing movie Free Solo harnesses a documentary video to tell a story. It is human centered by going into the history of previous climbers attempting similar feats, lifestyles, and relationships within the climbing in a park such as Yosemite.

    The other example is also a story-telling medium visualized through a single photograph. It shows what can be assumed (and was) a knockout punch captured beautifully by the photography. It is more abstract of a story in comparison to a scripted documentary, and leave more for the imagination or research behind the history of the photography. 

[mooninhiseyes-blog]

Klean Kanteen: 

donated over $2 million to environmental conservation organizations,

identified BPAs as a dangerous substance in the bottle industry,

purchases renewable energy certificates and carbon offsets equal to their energy use and shipping impacts,

use France’s and Germany’s food-contact standards voluntarily because they are more stringent than the FDA’s,

hire locally, 

provide health, dental, eye insurance benefits to all employees,

provide retirement, bonus, maternity and paternity benefits,

politically involved to limit environmental toxins and reduce pollution,

requires all suppliers to meet measuring and reporting standards on environmental impact,

and practice safe and fair labor.

[nice-lines]

Visual diary #4 | Virtual reality

Visiting the doctor can be a nerve-racking event for adults. For children who regularly receive several shots, visiting the doctor can be a terrifying experience.

A group of researchers conducted an experiment where children wore a VR headset while receiving medical shots. Instead of experiencing the actual doctors visit, they were immersed in a different world. When the moment came for the doctor to administer the shot, the children thought they were getting nibbled on by a character in an alternate reality.

The results of this study are incredible. For children aged 6 to 17, a little over 94% of the participants experienced less pain and lower fear levels. This is purely a study at this point but does represent an opportunity for technology to make their way into different aspects of our medical system.

Source:

Roston, Brittany (2018, June 19). Virtual reality headsets make it easier to give kids shots. [Weblog post] Retrieved from: https://www.slashgear.com/virtual-reality-headsets-make-it-easier-to-give-kids-shots-19534737/ 

[creativecollectionnk32-blog]

Visual Diary #4 - Prosthetics

There are so many kinds of prosthetics out there–and as a replacement for so many parts that it’s truly amazing. I read some stories and articles about how people who have prosthetics of any kind feel about them, and it was moving. 

How amazing it is that design has led those who have lost a leg, arm, foot, etc., to feel somewhat normal again. While they still have a constant reminder of their loss or if they were born without a part, they appreciate the design and technology of prosthetics and how it allows them to lead a more normal life. This is truly a service and it’s very important that it grows as an industry and hopefully can become more affordable for all. There has been a lot of recent research being done on designing a prosthetic that is just as effective, but much more affordable than some that are currently on the market. It’s important that we continue to develop this and be of service to those who appreciate the chance to live a more normal lifestyle of independency. 

[phuongfinds]

Visual Diary 14: A Responsible Find

Design leadership means taking on the responsibility to ensure the design solution encompasses a holistic approach. From social to economical to environmental, we need to consider design as a part of the bigger picture and every solution need to drive toward a positive change. For humans, the design solution need to be human-centered and empathetic to human needs in order to improve our lives. For the world, it needs to be sustainable and future-focused.  Without a sense of responsibility to the people and the environment, design lacks intentionality for viable resolutions and accountability for foreseeable consequences.

[hbussler-blog]

After conducting more research, I found research on Nine Cultural Parameters. Although these were not specifically made for design, I think that they are parameters that can be used when designing. 

Should we follow Cultural Parameters?

Absolutely, we should follow cultural parameters as designers. I think that parameters are important. We follow “standard” parameters and I think that a lot of them have cultural parameters built into them. BUT it is also important we also think specifically about these variables as they are also important to the success of each design.